Arabic version: متعاقد أمني ينفي تقييد زكريا بأربطة بلاستيكية في رحلة العودة

According to ABC News, former soldier Nathan Heckel has denied zip-tying Masood Zakaria during a December 2023 flight that returned the alleged Sydney crime boss from Türkiye to Australia.

Heckel, Hart International’s lead security contractor on the flight, told the Supreme Court that neither he nor five other black-masked security personnel used zip ties on Zakaria aboard the plane. He said Turkish authorities brought Zakaria onboard restrained with zip ties, which were later removed during the flight.

Zakaria, 31, is seeking to have two gangland murder charges dismissed, arguing he was illegally deported from Türkiye to Sydney in 2023. His lawyers allege he was “kidnapped” by Skytraders and Hart International, contractors paid $1 million by the Australian Federal Police for the operation.

The question of whether Zakaria was restrained in flight is central to his application for a permanent stay of proceedings. Prosecutors have admitted that he had a legal right to remain in Türkiye when AFP-paid contractors collected him in Istanbul. His lawyers have questioned whether anyone apart from Australian law enforcement could lawfully hold him in custody on the flight.

The proceedings may also affect two other prosecutions involving unnamed men transported from Türkiye to Australia by the same charter company and security firm. Zakaria was apprehended by Turkish police in Bodrum after a year on the run. Hearings before Justice Edward Muston continue.